The Gates of Hell
Broken Bow
November 12, 2006
Scripture: Matthew 16:13-27
This story takes place in Cesarea, Philippi. Jesus knew his time on earth was getting close to the end so he wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with his disciples. He wanted to talk to them straight. So he went about 25 miles northeast of the Sea of Galilee so he could get out of the Jewish region, where they were plotting to kill him. And he went up to Cesarea, Philippi where there were very few Jewish people. There would be less pressure there and he could have a little time with his disciples. Jesus wanted to make sure they really understood him. He wanted to make sure that when he left, they would know HIM well enough that they could carry on effectively in his absence. So in this heart to heart talk that Jesus is preparing to have with his disciples, the whole plan of salvation is at stake. The gospel message - the good news of his coming, is on the line. He has to make sure they understand.
Now, today, we’re here in this beautiful sanctuary. We’re away from the pressures of our day to day life. I’ve taken the clock down from the back of the church for today. You’re all back in your own pews (not like a couple of weeks ago), and now, as your pastor, I want to have a heart-to-heart talk with you. Lord willing, not because I’m leaving here, but because we’re working together to build this church.
(O.K. Are you with me? I want your undivided attention this morning - and you always do so well at that - but I want everyone, from the youngest to the oldest to join in our heart-to-heart talk today.) It’s not going to be long - but I don’t want anything to distract you from God’s word to you today.
Let’s go...
Now...let’s look at our text. The first thing Jesus asks his disciples is “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” Let’s stop right there for a minute. Because there’s something really important about WHERE Jesus asked this question. See, he waited until he got to Cesarea Philippi. And the reason he did that is because of all the regions around there, this area was probably the most mixed religiously of any other reason. When Jesus asked the question, “Who do you think I am?” there were at least 14 temples, or places of worship, for the god Baal within about a 5 to 6 miles radius. And so they were passing all these other places of worship. Behind them, in the cliff, was the Greek god, PAN who many of the people came to worship. In front of would have been the temple that was built for Ceasar and we all know what the people had to do every year - come and bow and say, “Ceasar is Lord.” So in the middle of this religiousity, and so-called worship - Jesus takes his core group of people aside and he asks them a very important question. Who do YOU say that I am? And Peter understands the question. And he says, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.”
Every one of the gospels talks about the word Christ. Christ and Messiah are the same. Obviously one is Hebrew and one is Greek. But they both mean the same - it means, “the anointed one.” In other words, when Peter looked at Jesus, he said, “We want you to know that we know that you ARE the anointed one. You’re not one of the prophets. You’re not Jeremiah. You’re not Elijah. You’re not just an incredible person in the religious life of Jesus history. You are the anointed one.
JESUS is established as the one true Lord. The only Lord. The Messiah. The Christ. HE IS IT.
Now, what’s the application for us today. The most important most crucial foundation to our heart-to-heart talk. JESUS IS LORD. Once that’s established and rooted, then we can carry on.
YOU - ALL OF YOU - NEED TO KNOW. JESUS is Lord in my life. He NEEDS to be Lord in Your life. Jesus is Lord, of this church. This church would not exist if it had not come from HIS hand.
Now I’m just going to let that thought sit there with you while we move on.
Once Jesus is firmly established as Lord, look what Jesus does next. Next he acknowledges Peter. Only when we first acknowledge Jesus as Lord, can God acknowledge us. And he looks at Simon and he says to him you are blessed.
When are we blessed? When we acknowledge Jesus as Lord. That’s the only hope for blessing in our church. Now hear me here - acknowledging Jesus as Lord is the ONLY - I said the ONLY, hope we have for being blessed as a church.
Getting more people in the church won’t make us a blessed church.
Getting more money in this church won’t make us a blessed church.
Getting our budget balanced won’t make us a blessed church.
Singing more hymns. Chanting choruses. Lifting our hands in worship, clapping, running, singing, dancing, WILL NOT MAKE US A BLESSED CHURCH.
When will we be a blessed church? When, and only when, we acknowledge, first, middle and last, Jesus is Lord.
We want to be a blessed church? We want to have blessing pour down from heaven? Acknowledge Jesus as Lord.
Once that’s done, and the blessing comes, the church grows.
What does Jesus say? He said, Blessed are you Simon and from now on you will be Peter - meaning Rock, and on this Rock, I will build my church and all the powers of hell will not prevail against it.
Now why did Jesus talk here, in this heart-to-heart talk, about the powers of hell?
Because Jesus knew. Jesus knew that his disciples - his core group of believers - would be up against the powers of hell. Not only was Jesus about to face death and hell and the grave. He knew he was going to conquer those and he knew the powers of hell would be unleashed in a fury such as the culture had never seen before because of Jesus death and resurrection, so he was telling his disciples - don’t be discouraged - the rock the solid - and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
Oh they’ll try - they’re coming disciples - hell is going to be unleashed, but remember disciples - remember - even the very gates of hell themselves cannot prevail against my church!!!
Why did Jesus use the analogy of the gates of hell. Why not all of hell? Why didn’t he say, Satan will not prevail against it.
The *gates* biblically represent power and authority. As you’re reading your One-Year Bible you’ve learned the gates of the city is always where the council sat. That’s where the elders sat. That’s where contracts were transacted. It’s where the wisdom of the city was gathered. And Jesus says, I want you to know the gates of hell will not be able to prevail against my church. All of hell’s wisdom, all of hell’s best contracts, all of it’s best demons - hear me now - WILL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST MY CHURCH.
Now the gates, of course, were the weakest part - that’s why they got attacked. They wouldn’t attack the wall - they attacked the gates. And Jesus gives a beautiful picture here of the church being on the offensive. The church is not sitting down passively sitting by hoping that some day Jesus will come and rescue them. He’s giving them - and us - a picture of an “Onward Christian Soldiers” church. He gives the picture of a church that is moving, and confident and one that is yelling together, CHARGE!!!!. Jesus is saying this is not only an aggressive, moving, confident church. It’s MY church.
Now listen to this. Jesus DID NOT say, Peter will build the church. Jesus said, *I* will build my church. Jesus said, I want you to know it’s MY church. Matthew 16:18 becomes more real to me every day. Because as much as I love you. As much as it’s natural for me to refer to you as *my* people. As much as I love being your pastor and working through some of the terrible struggles we’re facing right now, First Baptist church Broken Bow, is not my church. It’s not your church. It’s HIS church. It’s HIS. And every once in a while, Jesus gives us something - like this church - and he says, “You can have it for a while.” And then after a while Jesus comes along and he says, “You know what First Baptist Broken Bow? You’ve been acting lately like this is your church. And it’s mine. And it’s time to give it back now.” Jesus says, “You don’t think I brought this church through 125 years to all of a sudden forget about it, do you? It’s not your church. It’s my church”
And as hard as it is to say this. Sometimes. Sometimes. Jesus has to take our fisted hand and one by one he has to uncurl our fingers until we’re willing to let it go. Because it’s HIS church and he’s not going to let you or me or anybody else hold on to HIS church with a clenched fist.
Just a couple more things and then I’m done.
Verses 18 & 19. Jesus said, I’m giving you the keys to heaven. And he said, “Whatever you lock on earth will be locked in heaven, and whatever you open on earth will be opened in heaven.
There’s some confusion on these words of Jesus. Jesus isn’t saying he’s going to found the church on Peter. Jesus is the only foundation for the church. Jesus is saying, “Peter, you’re the first member of this church that I’m going to build. You take the keys, unlock the doors and let my people come in.”
See, we use keys to open doors, and Peter was given the privilege of opening the door of faith to the Jews at Pentecost in Acts 2, to the Samaritans in Acts 8, to the Gentiles in Acts 10. You see the connection?
Bind means you can forbid. And loose means you can permit. This is another area of confusion. Jesus wasn’t telling Peter he got to control who goes to heaven. The actual translation of that verse says, “And whatever you bind on earth (forbid to be done), shall have been already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth (permit to be done) shall have already been loosed in heaven.” Jesus did not say that God and heaven would obey what was happening here on earth. He was saying that they should do on earth whatever God had already willed. The church is not here to get man’s will done in heaven. The church is here to get God’s will done on earth.
(If time - read Jesus’ resume....)
Now let me finish my heart-to-heart talk by reminding you of (like Paul Harvey) the rest of this story.
I don’t think it could have been more than 30 seconds later, after this wonderful interaction Peter had with Jesus, that Satan gets in the way, and Jesus turned to the very person he had just renamed in a beautiful dedication ceremony and rebuked him harshly saying, “Get away from me Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me.”
Why was Jesus so strong with Peter? Very simple. Peter was trying to do to Jesus what Satan tried to do at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry. The devil came to Jesus in the wilderness right after Jesus baptism and tried to appeal to him to go another way to get followers, except through the cross - remember? He tried to appeal to him through popularity. He tried to appeal to him through financial gain (I’ll give you all this). He tried to appeal to him through every way but the cross. And Peter was doing the same thing. And Jesus said, “Get behind me Satan.” He was saying, “Peter, your place is behind me, not in front of me. It’s your place to follow me in the way that I choose. It’s not your place to try to lead me in the way in which you would like me to go. Peter, quit trying to tell me what to do. You follow. I’ll lead.”
And I submit to you this morning as your Pastor, will all the love in my heart that God’s grace and mercy have given me, that I will lead you only based on the firm foundation that Jesus is Lord. I am not willing to lead you based on being the most popular pastor in town. I am not willing to lead you based on more financial support. I am not willing to lead you based on a membership drive which simply brings in more people. I am willing and determined to lead you based on one truth and one truth only. Jesus is Lord.
THEN, we will be a blessed people. THEN we will be a blessed church. THEN and only THEN, will the Lord build this church and even the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
Because THEN and only THEN, what we bind on earth will already have been bound in heaven and what we loose on earth, and in our community, will be only those things which have already been loosed in heaven.
I’ve given you my heart this morning. I pray your heart has received the message well.
Can I tell you something. The BEST days for this church ..... Are ahead. How do I know that - because Jesus said, “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” There’s only one thing that will stop the work of Christ in this church. That is not acknowledging Jesus is Lord.
I determined long ago, on Christ the Solid Rock I would stand. I will take no other way in leading a church - any church. Because I learned long ago, any other way is sinking sand. Will you stand with me.......
